Hey,

Thank you for your question.

Squatting is a natural movement a child does unconsciously. I have a 2-year-old son, and he does a perfect squat every time:)

I am from Haryana, India, where villagers there sit in a low squat position my dad calls ‘Ukudu,’ meaning a low squat. When females clean the house with a broom, they do a low squat as well.

My friend’s wife recently had a baby girl with a natural birth. He made sure she performed hundreds of free squats daily.

Further, a quote by Giulia Enders in her book ‘Charming Bowels’ which sold a million copies, quotes,

‘Over 1.2 billion people who squat have almost no incidence of diverticulitis and fewer problems with piles’

That’s the power of free squatting. Some studies on barbell squats are below.

1) A study discusses whether the depth of squat has any effect on knee health or even lower back health, and the results were clear that there was no effect. ¹https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23821469/

2) In another study, 27 male powerlifters and 28 male weightlifters were analyzed, and no effect of squat trading on knee stability was demonstrated. ²https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2733579/

Next comes the frequency

How Many Times Can You Effectively Squat In A Week?

Well, this depends on your goals, nutrition status, genetics, how much sleep you are taking etc.

Ideally, squatting 2-3 times a week is more than sufficient, provided that overall your workout volume is low (squat, being a compound exercise, challenges your lower back).

I do squat a few months a year, but since my structure is more suited to parallel grip deadlifts. I prefer the latter.

Related Article: Trap Bar Deadlift: The Definitive Guide